Child s sled



(No Model.)

J. F. PRATT 85 W. CHASE.

GHILDS SLED.

- Patented Apr. 10, 1888.

UNITED STATES PATENT Ursula,

JACOB F. PRATT AND WVELLINGTON CHASE, OF GOLDNVATER, MICHIGAN.

CHILDS SLED.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 380,693, dated April 10, 18881.

Application filed January 4, 1888.

T0 aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, JACOB F. PRATT and WELLINGTON OHAsE, citizens of the United States, residing at Goldwater, in the county of Branch and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Reversible Handles for Childrens Sleds, &c.; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as willenable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

Our invention relates in general to that class of devices by which the handles ordinarily applied for the pushing of childrens sleds, carriages, or other vehicles can be unfastened from their normal position at the rear of the vehicle and reversed or applied to the front thereof for enabling the pulling of the vehicle as opposed to the pushing of the same; and it relates in particular to that class of devices in which the attachable and detachable connection of the handles to the front ends of such vehicles is effected by means of hooks applied to the side bars of said handles and adapted to be engaged with eyebolts or similar retaining devices applied at said front ends, and in which the connection of saidhandles to and from the rear ends of said vehicle is effected by means oflocking or clamping devices.

The object of our invention is the provision of improved means for securely locking or clamping the handles to the rear ends of childrens sleds or carriages when applied thereto, and for-securely holding said handles at the front ends thereof by side bars having hooks at their ends, the devices whereby this object is accomplished being simplein construction, easily understood, readily and quickly operated for attaching and detaching the handle, and not liable to permit the same to become accidentally detached from the position in which it is placed; and our invention consists in the construction and arrangement or combination of parts hereinafter disclosed in the description, drawings, and claims.

In the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, wherein the same reference-lettersindicate the sameparts, and wherein a childs sled is shown as an instance ofthe embodiment of our invention, Figure l represents a perspective view of our invention applied to the rear end of a sled; Fig. 2, a side Serial No. 259,766. (No model.

In the drawings, A represents the body of a sled or carriage provided with eyebolts B B upon each side and near the lower edge of its rear end, and with socket or recessed plates 0 O near the sides and upper edge of said rear end, to which the side bars of the handle are secured.

D represents the handle, which consists of the crossbar D at its upper end and of the side bars, D D, and is provided with a laterally-adjustable bracket or brace, D which connects the lower ends of said side bars, whereby they maybe drawn together or spread apart for respectively disengaging the handle from or attaching it to either end of the sled or carriage.

The adjustable bracket or brace D is made in two sections or parts, (1' d", which are held by screws d d to the inner surfaces of the side bars, D D and each of said sections or parts has a hook, (I, at its lower end for engaging with one of the eyebolts B B near the lower edge of the rear end of the sled.

Aclamping-bolt, E, is screwedinto a'thrcaded hole in the section or part cl, passes through a long slot, (2*, in the other section or part, (1", of the bracket or brace D and serves when fastened to securely hold the side bars of the handle and said sections or parts in fixed po sition when engaged with the eyebolts B B upon the rear end of the sled or carriage-body; also,t-his construction will operate to hold the handle in asimilar manner in engagement with the eyebolts B B at the front end of the sled or carriage.

YVhen the sections of the adjustable bracket or brace D are unclamped or unlocked by loosening the clamping-bolt E, the hooks (I d at the lower end of the side bars of the handle may be easily withdrawn from the eyebolts by pressing said side pieces of the handle toward each other, and may be held in this contracted position by said clamping-bolt until the handle is again placed in position to be secured upon either end of the body of the sled or carriage.

The handle D is locked securely in fixed position against the rear end of the body A of the sled by means of lever-clutches F F, pivoted to the outer surfaces of the side bars, D D of the handle, and engaging with the recessed or socket plates O, secured by screws 0 0 to the rear end of the sled. These recessed or socket plates have rectangular slots 0 c located one above the other and passing through said plates,with which the cam-shaped hooks ff of the lever-clutches engage, to be held sewithout removing gloves from the hands.

\Vith the parts constructed as described,the handle D is adapted to be quickly moved from the front to the rear of the sled or carriage and securely clamped in either position, thus providing a perfectly safe and reversible handle; also, it will be readily seen that handles thus securely attached will avoid the accidents which sometimes occur to children when their attendants lose control of the sleds or carriages upon the accidental detachment of the handles therefrom.

The handle may be made, if preferred, of a single continuous piece bent at the upper end or middle, and other minor changes in the construction and arrangement of the parts of our invention may be made without departing from the nature or principle thereof. We are aware, however, that reversible handles for childrens sleds or carriages are not broadly new; but we know of none which admit of easy and quick detachment from one end and attachment to the other end of the body of a vehicle, which can be securely clamped or locked in either position, and which will not admit of accidental detachment.

Having thus fully described our invention, what we claim as new is 2. The combination of the body A of a childs vehicle, provided with eyebolts B B, with a handle, D, provided with a laterallyadjust-able bracket or brace, D, arranged between the side bars, D D of said handle, whereby said side bars may be spread apart or drawn together, substantially as and for the purpose described.

3. The combination of the body A of a childs vehicle, provided with eyebolts B B, with a handle, D, provided with a laterallyadjustable bracket or brace, D consisting of two sections or parts, d al having hooks d d, a slot, at, and a clamping or screw bolt, E, substantially as and forthe purpose described.

4. The combination,with the rear end of a childs vehicle provided with recessed or socket plates, of a handle having side bars, and lever-clamps pivoted to said side bars and provided with cam-shaped hooks, substantially as and for the purpose described.

5. The combination,with the rear end of a childs sled or carriage, of a handle pivotally supported thereon near its lower edge, recessed or socket plates arranged near the upper edge and sides thereof, the handle, and the pivoted lever-clutches having cam-shaped hooks and secured to the side bars of said handle for engaging with the-recess of said plates, substantially as and for the purpose described.

6. The combination, with the rear end of a childs sled or carriage, of a handle pivotally supported thereon near its lower edge, recessed or socket plates arranged near the upper edge and sides thereof, the handle, the pivoted leverclutches having cam -shaped hooks and secured to the outer surfaces of the side bars of said handle, and a laterally-adjustable bracket or brace arranged between said side bars, substantially as and for the purpose described.

In testimony whereof we affix our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

JACOB F. PRATT. WELLINGTON CHASE. Witnesses:

H. H. BARLOW, MOREY O. VIETS. 

